On 18 July 1966, SSgt John McGinty sprinted through gunfire and mortar blasts to reach 20 wounded men who’d become separated from his platoon, assisting them in reloading their weapons and shooting 5 of the hostiles at point-blank range with his pistol. Despite being severely injured by shrapnel in the left eye and surrounded on three sides by the North Vietnamese, he skillfully called in air strikes to within 50 yards of his position, routing the enemy.